Jan 19, 2025, 6:00 PM UTC
Dream Bowl
South Atlantic Conference Football

3 Things To Know About Carson-Newman Football In The 2024 Playoffs

3 Things To Know About Carson-Newman Football In The 2024 Playoffs

Carson-Newman is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and they are looking to make a big run, however it starts with Miles College.

Nov 21, 2024 by Cameron Belcher
null

For the first time in five years, the Carson-Newman football team is in the Division II playoffs and will face HBCU Miles College in the first round to kick off the quest to a national championship as the first game in the tournament to kick off.

The game takes place on Nov. 23 at noon EST at Solan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield, AL.

Before these teams take the field, let's look at three things about the matchup between the two.

1. This Will The Second Year The Eagles Will Play An HBCU Opponent In The First Round

  • This may be the first time in five years that Carson-Newman will compete in the postseason, but they have a similar situation as they will play an HBCU team in the opening round of the playoffs.
  • In 2019, the Eagles won a narrow 17-9 game over Bowie State, and on Saturday, it will be exactly five years since that game.
  • Miles took West Alabama to the limit in the season's opening week and only lost to the Tigers by a point on the road. With the home-field advantage, they could complete the mission of taking down a top team, which could be Carson-Newman.

2. Carson-Newman Has To Stop The Hot Golden Bears Offense

  • Although Miles College started off the year slow, losing its first two games and struggling to put up points against tough opponents, the team's offense picked up from there, and they didn't look back.
  • They finished the regular season averaging 31.2 points per game, so with that threat of offensive power, Carson-Newman will have to prepare its defense, which has already been solid for the majority of the season. The highest-scoring game they allowed in the regular season was 34 points.
  • Even if stops become difficult for Carson-Newman's defense, the team has a high-octane offense that has averaged 33.6 points per game on the season.

3. Maybe This Is The Year Carson-Newman Gets It Done

  • In a season where the certain has been far from the case, the Eagles could be a sleeper team to win the region or even more as they look for the first national championship in program history.
  • When a team is the underdog, it usually plays like it has nothing to lose. Even though the Eagles will be the favorite this weekend if they can get a win, the assumption is that Carson-Newman will be the underdog going to Bazemore-Hyder Stadium for a second-round playoff matchup.
  • If that becomes the case, it could help the Eagles play more freely in a high-pressure playoff situation. They would already be expected to lose, so winning this game against Miles this weekend could give the team that boost needed to make a far deeper postseason run.

AFCA NCAA Division II Football Rankings In Week 13

  1. Valdosta St. (Ga.) (27) 10-0
  2. Ferris St. (Mich.) (3) 10-1
  3. Kutztown (Pa.) 11-0
  4. Harding (Ark.) 10-1
  5. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 10-1
  6. Charleston (W.Va.) 11-0
  7. Colorado St.-Pueblo 10-1
  8. Central Oklahoma 10-1
  9. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 10-1
  10. Western Colorado 10-1
  11. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 9-1
  12. West Alabama 9-1
  13. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) 8-2
  14. Indianapolis (Ind.) 10-1
  15. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 9-2
  16. Angelo St. (Tex.) 9-2
  17. Wingate (N.C.) 9-1
  18. Colorado School of Mines 8-3
  19. Central Washington 8-3
  20. California (Pa.) 8-2
  21. West Florida 7-3
  22. Augustana (S.D.) 8-3
  23. Southern Arkansas 9-2
  24. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 9-2
  25. Central Missouri 8-3

Dropped Out: Minnesota St. (18), Findlay (Ohio) (22)

Others Receiving Votes: Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 65; East Stroudsburg (Pa.), 45; Virginia Union, 38; Miles (Ala.), 36; Minnesota St., 34; New Haven (Conn.), 21; Findlay (Ohio), 18; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 9; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 4; Davenport (Mich.), 3; Ashland (Ohio), 2; Glenville St. (W.Va.), 1.

Archived Footage On FloFootball

Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloFootball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

Watch The 2024 College Football Season On FloFootball 

FloFootball is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long. 

Don't miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloFootball schedule page for the latest games. 

Join The College Football Conversation